Morning Revelation
by D. M. Evans
Summary: Roy can’t believe how much like Maes he’s becoming as fatherhood looms.


Morning Revelations

Author - cornerofmadness

Disclaimer - not mine, all characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa et al, Square Enix and funimition. I don't make a profit

Pairing – Roy/Riza

Rating – PG-13

Time Line – manga based, set after the series, based heavily on Riza's gloomy predictions as to Roy's probably fate as related to Ed

Summary – Roy can't believe how much like Maes he's becoming as fatherhood looms.

Author's Note – This was written for as a holiday present for Rizahawkeye9. She wanted something set in my Strands of Nightmares universe. All you need to know for this ficlet is, it's about a year and half after the series end, Al is human, Ed retained his automail limbs and Roy and Riza faked their deaths to avoid Roy being executed for war crimes as a peace offering to the Ishbalans. They're living a relatively peaceful life as Qiang and Eira (well, peaceful whenever the Elrics aren't visiting)

Qiang woke reluctantly. He didn't want to get out of bed. It was cold outside and he didn't want to crawl out of his soft, comfortable cave. He felt for Eira, only to find empty space. Qiang peeled open an eye and saw his wife standing at the lightly frosted window, gazing out over the snowy woodlands that made up their back yard. Somewhere out there, his koi rested under the ice and snow and normally he would have spared a moment to contemplate what he'd like to do to his Xing garden in the spring.

Instead, he was captivated by the beauty of his wife as golden sunlight folded around her. Eira hated how she looked at the moment, brushing his protestations of her beauty aside roughly. Qiang didn't mind the brusqueness. He knew that was the pregnancy talking. Eira thought she was fat and ugly. Qiang couldn't contest the fact she was huge but he kept reminding her that she was meant to be big. Twins were currently making their home inside her, after all. A stray thought about being happy he was male flitted through Qiang's mind but he shooed it away. He just did his best to assure his love that she was beautiful and ignored her moods when they flared.

Right after her complaints about being fat and ugly was the grumble about her breasts being so swollen she could nurse the village. He wisely kept to himself just how much her very full chest excited him, not that Eira was ever small. Her breasts had always been glorious. Qiang could spend all night worshipping them but he couldn't help hoping that she would retain some of the new lushness after the fact. He had yelled at Havoc for being lured in by Lust's breasts but he was little better.

Qiang slipped quietly out of bed and encircled his wife in his arms. He kissed Eira's neck. "Do you know how lucky I am getting to wake up next to you every day?"

Eira turned in his arms just a little so she could kiss his cheek. "You are a shameless flatterer and I thank you for it."

He slid his hand down, resting it on her belly feeling the babies kicking. No wonder Eira had been up so early. "No flattery, just truth."

She chuckled, folding her hand over his. "Every day closer to delivery brings you one step closer to becoming Maes Hughes."

Qiang pouted at her. "I am not Maes."

"You get any sappier we'll tap you for syrup." Eira kissed him once more then wiggled out of his grip. "Sorry, love, but they're dancing on my bladder again."

Qiang watched her shuffle for the bathroom then decided to crawl back into bed. It was his day off and maybe he could convince Eira to join him. The thing he couldn't confess to her was, now he really did understand how Maes felt about Elicia. He had always figured his best friend had been a little cracked but now he got it. He hadn't known he could love like this. He hadn't pictured living under an assumed name running a shop in the mountains but if it meant having friends close, having Eira as his wife and mother of his children then he was glad to be done with being the Flame Alchemist. Being the Fuhrer would never have made him as happy as this. Pulling the covers up over his head, Qiang drifted off, more content than he had ever been before.


End file.
